Tension device for winding-machines



APPLICATION FILED JUNE 28, I918.

Patented Mar. 16, 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET1- A. F. McCOLLUM.

TENSION DEVICE FOR WINDING MACHINES.

APPLICATION H LED JUNE 28, 19I8.

Patented Mar. 16, 1920.

' 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2- A. F. McCOLLUM.

TENSION DEVICE FOR WINDING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 28. 1918.

'1 ,333,862. Patented Mar. 16, 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED r. MGCOLLUM, or BLOOMSBUR-G, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR or THBEE-FIFTHS T JAMES MAGEE, 2D, or BLOOMSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

TENSION DEVICE FOR WINDING-MACHINES.

Original application'filed October 3, 1917, Serial No. 194,612.

Serial No. 242,471.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED F. McCon- LUM, a citizen of the United States, residing in Bloomsburg, Columbia county, State of Pennsylvania, have invented Tension Devices for Winding-Machines, (being a division of my Patent No. 1317.515, granted tion or adjustment for long periods of time.

A further object of'the invention is to provide a tension regulating device which shall effectively serve as a brake to prevent drifting of the supply bobbin and which shall be of such a nature as to be easily and inexpensively applied to existing machines.

These Ob'ects and other advantageous ends I secure as hereinafter set forth, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which;

Figures 1 and 2 are respectively a front and an end elevation of a machine embodying the novel features of my invention;

'Fig. 8 is an inverted plan of part of the tension controlling means for a supply bobbin; 1

Fig. 4 is a vertical section on the line H, Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a rear elevation of a detail of the invention.

In-the above drawings, 1 and 2 represent a pair of standardsconnected at the top by a Ztransverse table or plate 3, from the centerof which depends a bracket .or hanger T he lower end of this latter provides bearings =9-for a pair of-spind'les 5 and '6, whose opposite ends are carried in bearings f7 and {8,supported by .or formed as part of the ;two standards :1 and 2. These spindlesin turn supporttubes as .on which is wound the yarn .orthreadof apairof supply bobbins Ta. The bearings? Sand?) are so formedas to permit of the convenient insertion and removal of the spindles 5 and 6.

in order to control the tension at which the thread is drawn irom .each [supply hob- Specification of Letters Iatent.

Patented Mar. 16, 1920.

Divided and this application filed June 28,

bin, as well as to prevent the latter from drifting, I provide a suitable governing or brake mechanism, Figs. 1, 2, 3 and i, supported on a bar or other suitable transverse structure 10 extending between the stand ards or columns 1 and 2 below their bear ings 7, 8 and 9. On this bar under each sup ply bobbin is clamped a pair of parallel bars 11, which have hinged to their rear ends a pair of brake straps or bands 12 of leather or other suitable material. The opposite ends of these bars are rigidly connected by a transverse rod 13 and serve to support a pair of rollers 14: and 15, of which the latter is merely a guide or idler. The former has projecting radially from it a rod 16, on the outer end of which is mounted a weight 17 which may be clamped at any desired. distance from said roller by means of a set screw 18. This weight has projecting from its upper surface a thread guiding eye 19. Said roller 14% also has projecting radially from it a pair of staple-like eyes 20 on which is slidably mounted a relatively thin rectangular plate 21.

The front ends of the brake bands 12 have connected to them relatively thin flexible leather straps 22, preferably of the dimenarm 16.

By reason. of the friction between the roller let which is usuallyof metal, and said straps, which are preferably ofleather, as

well asby reason of the gripping action of theplate 21 on account of theinward "presu o th p r p onsoi he fi t rs; sa arm 16 withits weightil'i is normally 'In'aintained in or adjacent .a horizontal line and acts tozhold the straps under tension which causes the main straps 12 to frictionally engage and serve as brakes for the supply bobbin ,m'.

Mounted on the plate 3 of the frame area pair of winding devices Whose detail constmetio f m [n ,p rt Qf he Pres nt finiten- (III even-tension ,on the thread.

tion and which draw the yarn w from the supply bobbins through the tension apparatus above described. 7

Under conditions of operation supply bobbinsm are mounted on the spindles 5 and 6 respectively and the latter are placed in the bearings 7, S and 9, as shown in Fig. 1. Thereafter the brake bands 12 are carried up from the rear end of the arm 11 and forwardly'over each of said bobbins, with their flexible extensions 22 passed downwardly through the eyes 20, up around the rollers 14, and down under the automatic clamping strip 21, being so adjusted that when the machine is at rest, the weighted arm 16 is substantially horizontal. The end of the thread fromthe supply bobbin is then carried'down through the eye 19 ot' the weight 17 and up to the winding mechanism.

Since the weight 17 causes the brake strips 12 to frictiona-lly engage the thread on the supply bobbin. it is obvious that as the thread is wound on a spool said weight is first raised sincesaid supply bobbin is" held from turning, and such raising continues until the straps 22 and the bands 12 are sutiiciently relieved of tension to permit the supply bobbin to rotate. Thereafter the arm 16 with the weight 1T is maintained in a floating condition so that it exerts an Obviously if at any time the machine should stop operation, so that the tension on the thread was relieved, there could by no ossibilitybe continued rotation or drifting of the supply bobbin, since the weight at once acts to soturn the roller 1% as to apply tension to the straps 22 and thereby cause the main brake bands 12 to i'rictionally grip said bobbin.

In order to prevent the portions oi the straps 12 between the supply roll and the hinge S4!v which connect them to the parallel bars 11, from curving in towardsaid roll or outwardly therefrom so as to vary their area of contact with, the latter. I pretcrably stiil'en such portions by riveting or otherwise attaching to them metal strips 85, (Fi 5) which in the case noted constitute parts of the hinge butts. In. order to facilitate the removal of an empty spindle a and putting in. place of a new supply roll, l connect the hinges 84: to their supporting arms 11 by'conveniently removable pins 86 which. are prevented from jarring out of place under operating conditions by arrangingone arm 11 of each pair so-that its pinengaged end is higher than the corresponding part of the other arm. The hinge bodies 8d are therefore slightly inclined to the horizontal so that the hinge pins which are headed, naturally tend to remain in place. I

It is particularly to be'noted that the connecting bars 13 serve'as stops for their respective weighted arms 16, which while the thread a is being wound, are drawn and held against or immediately adjacent th'eni'. Under these conditions the small weights 23 acting through the straps 22 and brake bands 12, exert a slight drag on the supply roll which equalizes the tension on the thread and regulates or tends to make more uniform the running o1 said roll. Thesesmall weights likewise serve to automatically take up the surplus length of the straps 22 for as the supply roll diminishes in diameter their mass and the vibration of the machine is sufiicient to cause them to draw said straps around the roll 1st with the result that it the thread breaks or the supply roll is emptied, the weighted arm 16 is in its elevated position ready to prevent further turning of said roll or spindle by dropping and causing the straps to grip the same. he idlers 15 are employedto insure that the straps 22 at all times pass to the roll i l in the same-relatire positions as otherwise the length of their surfaces in contact with said l vary with the amount of material on the spindle f0 and their angle to the gripping plate would likewise vary when the weighted arm dropped. As a result of the use of my arangement of parts the action of the brake is rendered uniform instead oi -va-' riable The weight 17 is made movable on the arm in order that the apparatus may be adjusted to properly perform its -functions at widely different speeds, it being moved inwardly on the arm for low speeds and outwardly for higher speeds.

I claim:

1. The combination of means for supporting a supply roll; a device for Winding thread from said roll; and tension means including a brake band operative on the supply roll with mechanism frictiona-llyengaging the band and controlled by the tension of the thread for normally maintaining the band substantially inoperative and auton'iatically taking upthe slack due to the decrease in diameter of the roll.

2. The combination of means for supporting a supply roll; a device for winding thread from said roll; tension means including abrake band operative on the supply roll. and mechanism cont-rolled by the tension of the'thread for varying the braking eiiect of said band, thesame consisting of a rotatable member frictionally engaging,

the band; with means opposed by the tension of the thread and tending to turn said member to increase the tension on the band.

3. The combination of a supporting structure having means for carrying a supply roll; means for winding a thread from said roll; a brake band operativeon the roll; a

rotary member around which said band passes; with a weight tending. to turn said red would rotary member to increase the tension on said band and engaged by the thread so as to turn the rotary member to decrease the tension on the band when the tension on the thread is increased.

4. The combination of a supporting structure; means for carrying a supply roll thereon; means for winding the thread from said roll; a tension roll carried on said structure; a brake band having one end connected to said structure and passing over the supply roll, the other end of said band being connected to the tension roll; with a weighted arm engaged by the thread and normally acting to turn the tension roll in opposition to the thread tension so as to increase the friction of the band upon the supply roll.

5. The combination of a supporting structure having means for carrying a supply roll; means for winding thread from said roll; a tension roll mounted on the structure and having a weighted arm tending to turn it; a staple projecting from said roll; a plate movable on said staple toward and from the adjacent surface of said roll; a brake having one end connected to the supporting I structure and passing around the supply ing the same between the hinge and the supv ply roll; and means for exerting tension on the other end of said band.

'7. The combination of a structurefor sup: porting the thread supply roll; a brake band having one end connected to the supporting structure and extending around said supply roll; a roller engaged by said brake band; a weighted arm connected to the roller and engaged by the thread as it passes from the supply roll; with means for automatically taking up the brake band around the roller as the supply roll decreases in diameter.

S. The combination of a structure for supporting the thread supply roll; a brake band having one end connected to the support ing structure and extending around said supply roll; a roller engaged by said brake band; a weighted arm connected to the roller and engaged by the thread as it passes from the supply roll; with means for auton'latically taking up the brake band as the supply roll decreases in diameter, consisting of a relatively small Weight on the free end of said band.

9. The combination of a supporting structure for'a'thread supply roll; a roller rotatably mounted on said structure; a weighted arm connected to said roller; a plate mounted on the roller so as to be movable toward and from the same; a brake band having one end connected to the supporting structure and the other passed over said plate, around the roller and under the plate; a weight on the free end of said band; and means for winding the thread after it has passed from the supply roll into engagement with the weighted arm.

10. The combination of a supporting structure for a thread supply roll; a roller rotatably mounted on said structure; a weighted arm connected to said roller; a plate mounted on the roller so as to be movable toward and from the same; a brake band having one end connected to the supporting structure and the other passed over said plate, around the roller and under the plate; a weight on the free end of said band; means for Winding the thread after it has passed from the supply roll into engagement with the weighted arm; with a guide mounted to cause the brake band to pass to said roller always in the same relative position.

In witness whereof I aflix my signature.

ALFRED F. MoOOLLUM. 

